Produc tive Pizza Potager

word s k ylie baracz photos john feder

rowing produce and connecting

Gwith nature are the inspiration for this abundant kitchen garden. Featuring a large lawn for spor ts (and car twheels!), a stone pizza oven and a thriving veggie garden, this beautiful back yard is fi t for all ages and needs.

“ This family had a passion for growing their own produce and connecting with nature, as well as having fun in the garden. So the garden needed to encourage a life outside for the complete family,” says Steve Warner, principal landscape designer at OUTHOUSE Design. To create this fun outdoor space for the whole family, Steve had to inject energy and structure into the once-tired garden that had “good bones”.

“ We needed to create a space for the family to come together, while still having activity zones and, of course, a trampoline!” says Steve. “A garden for all ages and needs has its challenges, so seeking input from all to ensure ever yone’s needs were delivered was crucial.”

These needs were vast and included creating a lawn that was large enough to play ; space in the right microclimate for food production; an outdoor pizza and fi replace; a storage shed; and a garden design that was not only pretty, but also productive.

Heading into the garden, the circular feature lawn with a recycled brick edge creates a visually

T h i s f a m i l y h a d a p a s s i o n f o r g r o w i n g t h e i r o w n p r o d u c e a n d c o n n e c t i n g w i t h n a t u r e , a s w e l l a s h a v i n g f u n i n t h e g a r d e n . S o t h e g a r d e n n e e d e d t o e n c o u r a g e a l i f e o u t s i d e f o r t h e c o m p l e t e f a m i l y

S T E V E W A R N E R

strong green hub for all sorts of activities. Its shape allows for deep garden borders and connecting pathway/stepping stones. Each key activity or destination point radiates from the centre, making connection as easy as possible.

A feature pergola using recycled timber and bricks is the ideal location for year-round barbecues , while scented climbing roses create much-needed summer shade and fl exible seating caters for all the family. The same timber is also used for the arbours that create a visual link to the production zones . Raised production beds anchor the connecting arbours , which suppor t both seasonal climbers and production.

“ Within the design, we upcycled and recycled a broad range of materials , from convict bricks in the garden walls to reinforced mesh for the production trellis ,” says Steve. “Recycled timbers were used for the pergolas , arbours and raised planters .”

Fur ther sustainable features included in the garden are the water tank to capture water from the shed and house to suppor t the garden, and handy compost bins for recycling kitchen waste.

The paved patio area with overhead pergola and pizza oven allows for a fl exible footprint to suppor t either large family gatherings or a more lounge-st yle set-up to sit back on those laz y Sunday af ternoons .

Featured plants that create the garden’s lush ambience include Cercis canadensis, Forest Pans y and P yrus caller yana 'Capital' Ornamental Pear Tree for year-round seasonal change; Westringia, Aussie Box; Rhaphiolepis indica, Indian Haw thorn; Philodendron ‘ Xanadu’; Liriope muscari, Blue Lily Tur f ; Stachys